


Princess Sherlock and the Pea

by ChrisCalledMeSweetie



Series: Children's Classics with a Johnlock Twist [18]
Category: Sherlock (TV)
Genre: F/F, Femlock, Fluff, Humor, fairy tale
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-09-20
Updated: 2017-09-20
Packaged: 2018-12-31 19:58:43
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 778
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/12139983
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/ChrisCalledMeSweetie/pseuds/ChrisCalledMeSweetie
Summary: Once upon a time there was a clever princess named Sherlock. The king and queen wanted their daughter to marry a royal prince. Princess Sherlock, however, was adamantly opposed to the idea.“Princes are not my area,” she said.





	Princess Sherlock and the Pea

**Author's Note:**

  * For [IamJohnLocked4life](https://archiveofourown.org/users/IamJohnLocked4life/gifts).



> Written for the H.I.A.T.U.S. prompt: Femlock

Once upon a time there was a clever princess named Sherlock. The king and queen wanted their daughter to marry a royal prince. Princess Sherlock, however, was adamantly opposed to the idea.

“Princes are not my area,” she said.

“Well, what about a princess, then?” suggested the king.

“I suppose I could consider marrying a woman,” said Princess Sherlock.

“We must be sure she is a real princess, though,” said the queen. “It’s unusual enough that you wish to marry a woman rather than a man. If the woman were not of royal blood, people would talk.”

“People do little else,” said Princess Sherlock.

“Be that as it may,” said the queen, “I will not have you bring scandal upon the palace. Whomever you marry must be a genuine princess. That is my final word on the subject.”

Princess Sherlock knew better than to argue with her mother when she took that tone. However, she also knew that she was clever enough to get her own way, regardless of what the queen might say.

Now, it so happened that Princess Sherlock already had someone in mind whom she wished to marry. John, the young woman who had caught her fancy, was not a princess. Nor was she a duchess, a countess, nor even a baroness. John was, in fact, as common as possible by birth, but that couldn’t have mattered less to Princess Sherlock.

John was noble in character. She was brave, loyal, and kind. In addition to these virtues, she was also quite beautiful. And, to top it all off, John was as smitten with Princess Sherlock as Princess Sherlock was with her.

But how could they convince the queen that John was of royal blood? Princess Sherlock was clever and tricky, but she knew that her mother was clever and tricky as well. Whatever scheme she concocted, her mother would be suspicious. If she were to successfully trick her mother, Princess Sherlock would have to be prepared for the queen’s counter-trick.

Princess Sherlock talked the situation over with John, and together they devised a plan. Then they waited until the weather was right to put their plan into action.

One evening a terrible storm came on; there was thunder and lightning, and the rain poured down in torrents. Suddenly a knocking was heard at the palace door, and the king went to open it.

There was a princess standing out there in front of the palace. But, good gracious! What a sight the rain and the wind had made her look. The water ran down from her hair and clothes; it ran down into the toes of her shoes and out again at the heels. It was impossible to tell whether she was dressed in finery or rags. And yet she said that she was a real princess.

 _Well, we'll soon find that out,_ thought the queen, but she said nothing. Instead, she went into the finest guest bedroom, took all the bedding off the bedstead, and laid a pea on the bottom. Then she took twenty mattresses and laid them on the pea, and then twenty eiderdown duvets on top of the mattresses.

The king treated John like a real princess, offering her all the hospitality of the palace. Once she had eaten and bathed, the queen showed her into the guest bedroom. John was surprised to see so many mattresses and duvets piled on the bed, but she assumed this must be a royal custom of which she was unaware, and so she did not comment upon it.

“Good night,” said the queen. “I hope you will sleep well.”

“Thank you,” said John. “I’m sure that I shall.”

Once the queen and king had retired to their own bed, Princess Sherlock slipped into John’s room. She took one look at the tall stack of mattresses and instantly deduced her mother’s plan. It was the work of a moment to share her own plan with John.

In the morning, over breakfast, the queen asked John how she had slept.

“Very poorly, I’m sorry to say,” John answered. “I scarcely closed my eyes all night. Heaven only knows what was in the bed, but I was lying on something hard, so that my whole body is sore.”

This statement convinced the queen that John was a real princess, because she had felt the pea right through the twenty mattresses and the twenty eiderdown duvets. No one but a genuine princess could be as sensitive as that.

So, with her parents’ consent, Princess Sherlock married John; and the pea was put in the royal museum, where it may still be seen, if no one has stolen it.

**Author's Note:**

> I hope you've enjoyed my first foray into Femlock. Kind comments and kudos are greatly appreciated. :)


End file.
